good morning. a price on his head. a pakistani government minister offers $100,000 reward for the death of the filmmaker suspected of making that anti-islam film as protests rage across the muslim world. be one with the tigers, the bizarre explanation by the man who jumped into a tiger den at the bronx zoo and lived. now he's going from the jaws of the big cat to the long arm of the law. and the unfriendly skies. a former supermodel blames the death of her dog during a cross-country flight on a major airline. and she has a warning for anyone who wants to fly with their pets today, sunday, september 23, who wants to fly with their pets today, sunday, september 23, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt

and jenna wolf. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm jenna wolfe. >> and i'm carl quintanilla. we told you on saturday lester was on assignment. now we can reveal where he is, afghanistan. it has been nearly 11 years since the war began there and just last week the announcement came the surge is over. did it work? where does that nation go from here? we're going to check in with lester in just a moment. >> plus, we're going to have much more on that bounty placed on the head of the man accused of making that anti-islam film that set off protests worldwide. then, a sweet 16 party gone terribly wrong when thousands of partiers showed up for a big bash. you will not believe how it happened. >> a crazy story. you have to be careful with facebook these days. you post to one friend and post to every single person i've ever met in my life. >> 30,000 rsvps. >> a very thin line. then brat packer andrew mccarthy will drop by.

he started some of the most popular films of the '80s like "pretty in pink" and "st. elmo's fire." he's going to talk about the amazing journey he has had since then. a big fan? >> huge, huge. do you know his first big break? >> no. >> we'll tell you later. >> you are such a big tease, carl. we will preview tonight's emmy awards as well. we'll begin this morning in afghanistan. the troop surge over there is now over leaving 68,000 soldiers in the war zone, but violence continues to rage in that country. our lester holt is in kabul. the last time were you in the region was almost two years ago. does it feel like the situation there has improved in any way? >> reporter: you know, you don't necessarily get the feel but the numbers will tell you that the nato has trained up over 300,000 afghan security forces. what has changed the surge officially ended on friday. that 33,000 number of troops who were brought in late 2009 into

2010 was now brought down and they're back to the original number of 68,000 u.s. forces here in the country. the thing that struck me this morning coming in from the airport, i didn't see u.s. troops on the streets of kabul. i saw afghan police and afghan troops. that is, of course, the model for the entire country that the u.s. hopes after 2014 that the afghans will be taking care of their own security. >> lester, what's the status on the rash of the insider attacks by afghan allies on u.s. troops there, the so-called green on blue attacks? >> reporter: well, 20% of u.s. casualties, nato casualties, since the beginning of the year have been from insider attacks. and finally last week the u.s. military and nato put a halt or at least a pause -- they changed the conditions in which nato forces can operate with afghan forces. they put some restrictions in place that seems to have stopped them. but there are some bigger questions how they go forward because, of course, training

afghan troops is essential to the overall mission. >> you've only been on the ground for a day or two there. do you get a sense of what the mood is like at this point? >> reporter: you know, just talking to folks who have been here and got their pulse on kabul, they say things are rather quiet. there were some protests friday, continuing protests over the anti-islam film but largely it's been quiet. you'll recall last week, of course, there was a car bomb attack against a bus near the airport that killed 12 people including a group of south african aviation workers. but largely, in relative terms, things seem to be quieter right now. >> lester, thank you so much. we'll see much more on "nbc nightly news" from kabul. in the meantime, please stay safe. >> reporter: you bet. >> let's get a check of the rest of this morning's top stories. craig melvin is over at the news desk. pakistan's prime minister is

condemning a $100,000 reward for the killing of the maker of that anti-islam video. the minister says it's a blessed mission and is calling for the taliban and al qaeda to help locate and kill the filmmaker. the video produced here in the united states has led to a wave of protests in the muslim world and many deaths, as well. the bounty offer came a day after at least 20 protesters clashed with politics in pakistan. back here, the pacific northwest is on alert today over what's is being called the largest fire event for years. wildfires in washington state is burning out of control and the raging flames are only part of the problem now. the smoke is so thick, the air is being compared to a volucani eruption. doesz of people have been taken to the hospital for treatment. many schools are closed. people are being warned to relocate, stay inside or wear masks. there's no relief in sight. federal official officials

are warning consumers not to eat trader joe's valencia creamy salted peanut butter. trader joe's has pulled the product from its store shelves nationwide and posted an advisory. peanut butter's i.d. number is 97111. jars should be returned to any trader joe's for a full refund. and the guinness book of world records has announced a new milestone. that music milestone by a south korean rapper that's taken the internet by storm, it's now the most like youtube video of all time. the ganghan style video has collected more than 4.2 million likes since it debuted. the video of the crazy dance style has been viewed more than 250 million tiles, a quarter of a billion people trying to learn to dance like that guy. that's the news for now. back to carl, jenna &. >> carl, how many clicks did you contribute to that?

>> how many did i? >> six. >> just to learn the moves. >> no, i get that. i'm all over that. in the next half hour, you'll nail those moves for us. we appreciate it. >> david gregory got it in one click. i don't know what the big deal is. dylan is here with a check of the weather. did i hear you say snow? >> yeah. friday night, duluth, minnesota, got a tenth of an inch of snow. it's too early for that if you ask me. but we are dealing with some chilly temperatures in that region. we've got freeze warnings, frost advisories through the morning, obviously. that affects plants more than anything else. but, yeah, i think humans affected by temperatures in the 20s, 28 in fargo and it is going to warm into the 50s later on today. the east coast enjoying lots of sunshine, cool examine and a nice view of san francisco this morning. look how low the fog sits across the water this morning. temperatures starting off 40s and 50s. a bit of a sea breeze reaching

fairfield but temperatures will be nice for the giants game as we are now officially nl west champs. 72 degrees. first pitch 105 against san diego padres. you can see we'll have high clouds coming over the bay area today. our temperatures will be 80s to near 90 degrees inland. >> and that's your latest forecast. now here is carl. now to presidential politics. it's been a tough couple of weeks from mitt romney. first video from a private fund-raiser was released with romney saying 47% of americans are dependent on the government. then the former governor released his 2011 tax returns. critics say it's not enough. can he turn things around? >> good morning. >> let's talk about governor romney. his reputation has largely been known as a turn around artist, whether it's a broken business or the olympics. giving us troubles over the last couple of weeks. has that reputation taken a hit? >> well, it has. in terms of his prowess as a

politician, that's what's under fire right now and his ability to lead the campaign. this is not a company he's trying to turn around, it's a campaign. and it's a campaign about ideas that have to do with the economy and connecting to voters who are struggling in this economy. that 47% comment and the ensuing debate only reinforced a negative image for mitt romney. and that's what really is bricking him down right now, the fact that he has very high unfavorable ratings. we see that in the polling, higher than anybody at this stage of the campaign in recent political history. that said, the national polls are still tight. it's a battleground stage where he's losing ground and he's going to have to rely more heavily than perhaps he may even want to on these debates to try to create an edge. >> yeah. the cover of the washington post this morning call tess campaign defian defiant, but realistic. six week to go. what's the clearest path to turning this around. >> i think it has to be a round message. any challenger to an incumbent face tess tough burden of really

giving americans a reason to change leaders mid course. i think that's particularly tough with president obama because a lot of americans like him, even if they disagree with his policies. so romney has to zero in on not just sailing the record on the economy, but the kind of alternative that people can gravitate towards and say, this makes sense. this can turn the economy around. i think that can be his primary goal and he has to do it in a disciplined way that leaves no room for error and does not get side tracked with some of these other issues. >> you mentioned the debate. it's 11 days before the first one. how focused is the romney campaign on october 3rd and how often are debates seen as a game changer this late in the cycle? >> it's a time when people do take the measure of the candidates, they pay attention. i've seen polling this morning indicating eight out of ten americans are going to watch these debates. it is very high interest. that said, you know, this is not, you know, ali frazier here. these are two very experienced politicians. they both know their stuff.

they're lickly to come out and have a pretty intense but, you know, high performing debate on both sides. so it's not like it's going to change the campaign entirely or result in some sort of a knockout to continue that metaphor. and i think that's the problem. you can't invest too much of a strategy in saying, we can turn this things around with a debate. >> what's coming up today on "meet the press? "? >> we're going to have our own debate about the 47%, whether that this is an issue that needs to be taken on by the political class. deval patrick and kelly ayotte. >> thanks a lot. >> thank you. >> once again, here is jenna. >> carl, thanks. this morning we're learning more about the man who jumped into a tiger exhibit at new york's bronx zoo and miraculously survived. at first, it looked like a bizarre suicide attempt but as nbc's veronica de la cruz will tell us, the jumper's reasoning was much more mysterious. >> reporter: david villalobos is

telling police he intentionally jumped out of a monorail ride and into the tiger exhibit out after desire to be, quote, one with the tiger. villalobos could easily have been killed. he says he managed to pet the tiger before the 400-pound cat dragged him by the foot and bit him on his arms, legs, shoulders and back. zoo workers rushed to his rescue. >> what they typically do is grab a prey animal either by the head or in the back of the neck and it's over very quickly. this cat did not do this to the individual. >> reporter: villalobos has numerous broken bones and a collapsed lung. injuries he sustained mostly from the 17-foot jump. the 25-year-old man is now charged with criminal trespass third it degree which is a misdemeanor. villalobos updated his facebook just hours before the jump on friday. he claims his religion is mother earth and left a passage titled a messenger of the return of the divine mother. it speaks of worshipping and says fear is irrelevant, there

is no greater bliss than living in my divine light. there are links to all sorts of spiritual movements. astronomy and anthropology and pictures of wild animals. >> recently i saw some of the stuff he wrote on facebook and it just seemed a little strange. >> reporter: villalobos told police he rode the same monorail with his girlfriend two weeks ago. when police asked him why he jumped on friday, villalobos told them that, quote, everyone in life makes choices. the zoo says their ride is safe and visitors don't seem concerned. >> i didn't really care. i just wanted to come to the zoo and look at some animals. >> reporter: for "today," veronica de la cruz, new york. >> once again here is carl. >> jenna, thanks. have you ever had unwanted guests show up at a party you were throwing? wait until you hear what happened at one teenager's sweet 16 celebration. here is number's duncan golasani. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: every little girl

dreams of her sweet 16, but this was a nightmare. police officers attacked with rocks and bottles, street signs ripped up and cars set alight. all this dutch girl had wanted was a quiet celebration with a few friends. if only merthe had clicked the private option on facebook. 30,000 people rsvp'd, then promotional videos appeared on youtube and famous dee jays started spreading the word. merthe and her family were moved to safety earlier in the week but it was too late for their neighborhood as thousands of teenagers arrived on friday night. these women say the atmosphere changed suddenly. 34 people were arrested and three seriously injured during a night of violence. many were wearing t-shirts with project haren written, a reference to the movie about an out-of-control house party.

but now facts have become scarier than fiction. last year 1,500 people arrived at a party in germany and in australia more than 100,000 rsvp'd a sweet 16. at least they didn't turn up because back in the netherlands just look at the hangover. terrible, this woman says, what kind of world are we living in? there was certainly nothing incident about this sweet 16. up next on "today" who will be crowned tv's best? we'll preview tonight's emmy awards right after this. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day,

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then rinse clean away leaving a cool tingling that just won't quit extreme clean from aquafresh. take the feeling of clean to the extreme. the stars are gathering in hollywood for tonight's prime time emmys already. as nbc's kristen dahlgren reports, this could be the year of the cable guy. >> reporter: it is television's big night, and this year it could be all about cable. and maybe all about "mad men." the show is looking for its fifth straight emmy for best drama and has 17 nods altogether tying only fx's "american horror story" for most nominations. >> i think we're definitely looking at "mad men." i think "mad men" is going to take it. they can be beaten by "breaking bad" but you look at "mad men" and i do think it's that ensemble, all of them making the series so great. >> reporter: jon hamm has been nominated five times but has so

far gone home empty-handed. so the biggest question of the night could be whether the sexy star finally snags some hardware. >> i think he's going to lose again to bryan cranston. everybody loves bryan. not that they don't love jon, but bryan's performance on "breaking bad" is such -- i mean, it's just over the top amazing. >> reporter: it is a year full of stars looking to make a breakout. michael c. hall has been nominated five times for "dexter." and for "mad men's" elisabeth moss, the fifth time might be the charm. of course there are the dark horse contenders. awards shows are nothing if not unpredictable. the show has a new host this year, late night comedian jimmy kimmel. >> this is a funny guy who is safe. he's not going to push too many buttons. he's not going to be too controversial. but he has, you know, the emmys are tough. >> reporter: while some things

are new, the one thing that is always a constant, the stars will be putting on their best show on the red carpet. so expect plenty of glitz and glamour but experts say not too many surprises. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> we shall see. still ahead, a former supermodel is in mourning over the death of a beloved pet on a cross-country flight this morning why she says a major airline is to blame. untry fligh morning why she says a major airline is to blame. jack, you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] i get the power of claritin-d.

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still to come on "today," he was part of hollywood's brat pack in the 1980's, starred in "st. elmo's fire" and "pretty in pink." now he's an accomplished travel writer. andrew mccarthy will open up. >> and he likes our coffee. plus, actor danny pino will

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good morning to you. looking live at a very pretty start to the day in san francisco. a little bit cool and you can see the fog squished all of the way down. thanks for joining us. i'm kris sanchez along are meteorologist ron insana with what that means. >> low 90s inland. mild this morning in fairfield. 58 degrees. 50 in san francisco. 48 in oakland. the sea breeze will pick up a little bit sooner today. we'll see a slight cooldown in temperatures but the satellite view is interesting. here you go. first fall weather system dropping down the coast except it is moving inland and to our east. that's a fairly dry system. you'll see high clouds coming into the afternoon. should still get into the 60s and 70s around san francisco. mid 80s around san jose.

closer to 90 and some low 90s around the tri-valley. not as hot as yesterday. and as we go through the next few days, we'll see temperatures cooling a little bit inland. hanging onto summerlike temperatures for the first week of fall. 90s inland. >> thank you very much. tomorrow we may get more insight into what triggered the fire in richmond. chevron along with local and state investigators will share their latest findings tomorrow. they'll talk about the possible causes and the environmental impact of the august 6th fire. preliminary reports say a massive vapor cloud was released which somehow ignited. more than 14,000 people sought medical care during the following week. the chevron meeting will be held at the richmond memorial auditorium and convention center at civic center plaza beginning tomorrow night at 6:00. construction of the new 49ers stadium in santa clara is making steady progress. team officials say the

installation of the stadium's steel frame is about 25% complete. as of now they tell us the entire project is now at about 15% completion. the stadium is scheduled to open for the 2014 football season. officials say about 70% of the club seats and luxury suites are full. those are suites and seats that cost anywhere from $150,000 to a half million. in just a few hours, electric car owners from across the country will converge in silicon valley celebrating national plug in day in cupertino. an event honoring the electric car. organizers say it's the largest gathering the hybrid owners in the bay area. visitors can treest drive the latest electric cars. national plug in day will be held at de anza college this morning at 10:00. coming up at 7:00 on "today

in the bay," something you may have purchased at trader joe's could make you sick and the san francisco giants deliver clinching the division title last night. we'll hear from excited fans and show you where you can already get the all-important team merchandise. that and all of the day's news at 7:00. right now, here's back to the "today" show.

and we are back on this sunday morning, september 23, 2012. fall is in the air here in new york city, a great crowd here on the plaza, and we thank them for spending part of their weekend with us. i'm carl quintanilla along with jenna wolfe. i'm filling in for lester, of course n. a couple moments, a heartbreaking story. a former supermodel, maggie rizer, flew cross-country with her beloved golden retriever. when she arrived, she was told her dog had died. what happened is the airline truly to blame? we're going to to get into that controversy in just a moment. truly heartbreaking. then education nation kicked off and we're going to take a different look and a different approach to education, one that might actually work for your children depending on where you live. when it comes to student

achievement, cincinnati, ohio, is taking community involvement to a whole new level to help kids succeed. it means tutors, it means mentors, it means on site health care, whatever it takes to have students focus on their academic performance. it's an ingenious concept, they're trying to help it out and seeing if it hits and sticks. andrew mccarthy is here. you remember him from the 1980's associated with the brat pack, "pretty in pink." he's an accomplished travel writer and is out with a na memoir about his life and his career writing about his trips all around the world. >> what do you think the chances are i'm going to reask him to prom when we sit down? >> i say 110%. another guy i might ask to prom is nick amaro from "law & order: svu." danny pino is here to talk about this week's season premier. the 14th season already. this is his second season. he has a lot of good insight for us. he will stop by. >> and it's your first season as

a guest star. >> i don't want to have to break the big news. i was on an episode. let's talk about something else. dylan dreyer is here with a check on the weather. good morning, dylan. >> you were on an episode? i didn't hear anything about that. >> i'm sure you didn't. >> we are seeing temperatures dip up here in new york city with the clear skies. it is going to turn nice all across the east coast. we are looking at gorgeous weather for sure as we look across the country we've got warmer temperatures starting to move into areas back through the plains, temps in the 80s. showers in the great lakes and highs today in the northeast in the lower 70s. today is the first official day of fall and it's going to feel like it. we have the smoky conditions in the pacific northwest. that, too, is going to be an issue as the air really isn't going anywhere. hot air starts to build into the plains, too, as temperatures should get back into the 80s and 90s. so things for the most part pretty quiet minus a few thunderstorms down thr here's a nice view from the bay bridge toll plaza approach

there. high clouds on top and some low clouds just below that. below the mountain line off to the east. temperatures today not going to be quite as hot. still bet we get low 90s inland around the tri-valley. mid 80s around san jose. 60s and 70s from san francisco to oakland as our temperatures are running a little bit cooler today into the start of the weekend and warmer for the second half of the week. and, of course, for the latest on your weather you can check out weather.com and tonight it's a big night. it is football night in the afc rematch. we are seeing the pats take on the ravens in baltimore. it is going to be clear and cool and shouldn't be too much wind either. so everybody looking forward to that game later on tonight. jenna? dylan, thank you. a supermodel is on a mission today to raise awareness after her beloved golden retriever

died on a cross-country flight. she says united airlines is to blame, but the air carrier claims that just isn't true. the story now from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: supermodel maggie rizer has graced the cover of fashion magazines like "vogue" and the catwalk for designers worldwide. after starting a family complete with dogs brea and albert, rizer began blogging about her life. she's been writing and talking about her emotional loss of brea who died this month onboard a cross-country united flight. rizer claims the airline didn't do enough to protect her pet from the heat when she says the plane sat on the tarmac with the engines off. she also says when the family arrived in san francisco, workers could not explain what had happened. >> i was hysterically crying. i didn't know if they had let her out and she had been run over by a plane.

i didn't know if she fell out of the plane while they were boarding her, if her kennel fell off. i didn't know if they let her out and she boiled to death. >> reporter: rizer's two dogs were stored in the cargo area along with other pets. the heat died of heat stroke, and the dog was in good health. a veterinarian who also reviewed the case says other factors may have also played a role. >> i think it's possible that all the dogs were experiencing heat stroke, but not all the dogs got sick. bea vomited which can happen with heat stroke but it's not necessarily one of the more common things that you see. >> reporter: in a statement united says the safety of our animals is always considered first and foremost when making decisions regarding their routing and carriage. united also offered condolences to the rizer family for their loss but said after careful review, we found there were no mechanical or operational issues with bea's flight and also determined she was in a temperature controlled environment for her entire

journey. rizer has not sued the airline but instead is trying to raise awareness by sharing her story and hopefully, she says, improve how pets are cared for on flights. >> something dramatic needs to be done because this is just going to keep happening. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. up next, you may know him best for his roles in "pret gli pink" or "week at bernie's." actor andrew mccarthy stops by. [ thunder crashes ] [ male announcer ] if you think all batteries are the same... consider this: when the unexpected happens, there's one brand of battery more emergency workers trust in their maglites: duracell. one reason: duralock power preserve. it locks in power for up to 10 years in storage. guaranteed. so, whether it's 10 years' of life's sunny days... or... the occasional stormy one... trust goes a long way. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere.

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he's an actor, director and travel writer by andrew mccarthy shot to stardom as a group pack whose films dominated the '80s. he was the love struck best friend in "st. elmo's fi." >> i am desperately and completely in love with you. and the object of molly ringwal in "pret gli pink." the string of hits continued with the romantic fantasy comedy "mannequin." >> you two haven't met.

this is emmy. roxie. >> and the cult favorite "weekend at bernie's." by the end of the decade mccarthy had starred in 11 films and was on every director's short list. mck mccarthy continues to work in film,television as an actor and director. >> for his latest project is the latest memoir "longest way home: one man's quest to settle down." which of those was the most fun to make or which did you enjoy the most? >> it's good to see bernie. >> dead or alive. >> we had a great time doing that, yeah. >> it was a novel concept, also. >> utterly ridiculous concept. i remember when they sent me the script, are you kidding? sign me up. i loved that movie. >> you talk about the brat pack in general. your sensibility has always been more of a loner, right, than as a member of a gang or a pack, so when you look back at these

films, does the fame, does the stardom feel more like a blessing or a curse? >> oh, it's all just part of who i am, you know what i mean, all that stuff that happened. i never would have imagined my life would take that turn when i was so young. i can't imagine it now without it. all of those movies have taken on such an iconic stature now over the years. still talking about "pretty in pink" 25 years later. at the time i thought it was a silly movie about a girl going to a dance. >> right. >> i think they're great. >> there's this whole generation of people who grew up with you almost and you became this beloved guy that they just sort of fell for. do you appreciate why strangers can come up to you and feel like they know you or want to take a picture of you or with you. >> yeah. i think it's great. i'm a bruce springsteen fan and love his new music but when he plays "born to run" i go crazy like everyone else. you have a relationship and have had for all of these years. it's not stuck in the past. they bring it up into their now. and now their kids are watching them. so crazy, i have 17-year-old

kids coming up to me. oh, my god. >> talk about the book. it's largely about your journey around the world, your love of travel. you talk about travel as you compare it to christmas morning and it's also about your journey to finally settle down with the right woman. >> yeah, i've had a secret sort of parallel career for the last ten years. i've been a travel writer and i found travel is a great thing, because as a reaction to all of those movies, travel around the world alone and so it helped me find answers to who i was and what i wanted and i was having a little trouble sort of committing and settling down in my life and this woman i love, we have a beautiful home, kids, and yet i couldn't find myself getting married. i applied that question, how do i solve that dilemma? and i applied that by traveling around the world 0 looking for answers. that's how i find answers. people sit in therapy. i travel the world. >> all right. >> more expensive. >> it's not actually. some of the they arapists in th

town. >> yeah, right. some are calling this book the "eat, pray, love" for men. are you okay with that? >> i thought "eat, pray, love" was terrific. a personal journey played out in really exotic places and that's what my book is. that's fine by me. >> part of your journey got difficult and it largely involves drinking including instances where you would wake up in the city, amsterdam, with no idea exactly how you got there. >> that's in the book a bit. in my young and wild days i did have some nights i don't quite remember all of, yeah. much better now. that was a long time ago. that was about 20 years ago. >> is there a trip that sticks out in your head you are first to say this is where you have to go, if you go nowhere else, this is where you have to go? >> people always ask me that and i think if everyone has one place they're kind of mildly curious about, go there. don't ask why, just go. the first place i went was spain and it changed my life. >> yeah. >> so is there a trip you would love to take that you have not yet taken or a place that you would never go back to again? >> i'd love to go down to the des nert chile.

i want to go to burma before mcdonald's gets there. i love mcdonald's but burma is opening up and i'd like to get there before the world infill traits it. >> one last question, i wrote you 27 letters in 1986. >> you didn't get my reply? >> interestingly, i didn't. what kind of snail mail service? >> i have to talk to my postman. i've heard this before and i'm sure i answered. >> you and michael j. fox have the same answer. >> he's my neighbor so we probably have the same mailman. that's the issue. >> you were plan "a." fox was plan "b." just ahead, education nation. we'll see how having an eye clinic and daycare center helps a school boost student performance. ♪guitar [phone ringing] hi. oh there you are.

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this morning on "education nation" a different approach to helping students learn. it's been said that it takes a village to raise a child. and cincinnati, ohio, is showing us it takes a community coming together to help that very child succeed. jeremiah davis is about to turn 2 years old. before he was even born, his mother was already learning how to take care of him. it's part of a program called every child succeeds, one of hundreds just like it in cincinnati, focus on guiding children. >> i needed it a lot. i didn't know the techniques it takes to be a parent. >> across town at john parker elementary school, an effort called be the change has volunteer tutors working one-on-one with students. >> i know a lot more stuff than

i did last year. >> we need to encourage them a little bit, maybe more than a little bit. >> some city schools are called community learning centers using a wraparound approach to improve students' academic success. >> that is what makes our program so successful that we mix emotional and academic to get the whole child. >> and the support doesn't stop there. here at the oilers school, students have access to dental, medical, even vision services here in the building. the thinking? tackle the problems outside the classroom so that the students can focus more when they're in them. >> i had children who were without a place to live, so every day when they walked in, they were a little concerned as to where they were going to go home that night. >> in 2006, educators partnered with more than 300 organizations including corporations and nonprofits to form a partnership focused on a common vision,

helping students perform better. >> everyone is pulling in the same direction. services are aligned. >> the results are encouraging. there's been a 13% rise in kindergarten readiness, an 11% increase in high school graduation. and college enrollment is up 7% thanks to the emphasis on education at an early age. >> when they are exiting us at eighth grade and heading to high school, we actually have partnerships developed to make sure our kids understand what is my skill set? what is my interest? what are my talents? the most conversations begin at preschool and they progress all the way up. >> these last four years in cincinnati public schools we have seen a large increase in academic achievement. >> in addition to it academics, school superintendent mary ronan thinks cincinnati's business model is sustainable. >> i really do think the blended funding model with the public/private partnership is

the way you have to go because right now no one has enough resources to do it by themselves and it's only with us all coming together trying to pool the money to get the most bang for the buck, so to speak, in thames of providing services for our youngsters. >> planning for the future by getting an early start. bam! nice job, buddy. absolutely adorable. to learn more on how you can get involved in your community especially with this program, go to our website, educationnation.com/casestudies. and one program note we want to mention, this year's education includes a summit here in new york with a teacher town hall hosted by brian williams this afternoon. it airs live on msnbc today at noon eastern, 9:00 pacific. and we will be right back with danny pino from "law & order: svu." i woke up with this horrible rash on my right side.

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"law & order: svu" is entering its 14th season, just celebrated filming its 300th episode. >> here now with a preview of this week's two-hour premier is danny pino who plays the hit detective on the show. danny, good morning. >> good morning. >> the show is in its 14th season. this is your second season. do you feel like you sort of hit your stride at this point? >> i think comparatively the last season absolutely. last season was like an introductory season for myself. i think this season is really developmental for the character so, yeah, we're hitting our stride. >> a heck of a cliffhanger at the end of last season. the captain wakes up with a dead body in his bed.

is a lot going to get explained in this two-hour premiere? >> you bet. there's a lot of mystery. a lot of betrayal. some back stabbing. some blackmail. yeah, it's going to make for a great two hours. >> now that you're a part of it, can you explain what the fascination is with the show? people love it with a passion. >> especially new yorkers, i think. it's the quintessential new york show. i think that it's gritty. it's intense. it's very naturalistic. so people love to follow along and try and solve it before we do. >> the perfect show for a certain someone. >> i wanted to ask about your 300th episode. it's a special episode coming up. are there guest stars or anyone special on the show in a special way that you can talk about in any kind of a special sense? >> no one is really special. somebody who looks a lot like you in it, though. >> i made my "svu" debut. >> you got that right. >> i got it right this time. >> no, it was perfect. >> a reputation here for being difficult. i assume you saw some of that.

>> incredibly difficult. she was asking for water when she had one in her hand already. >> crazy, i was hungry. everyone was so nice to me. you have such a great ensemble cast. do you enjoy it as much as we enjoy watching it? >> absolutely. i look forward to going to work every single day. by the way, you looked very comfortable and confident up there. you are in front of cameras all day. >> sometimes. not all the time. >> really? >> the challenges of shooting on location in new york, does it ever get tough? i mean, we deal with crowds here, but we're not trying to film a drama. >> we deal with sensitive issues and when you're in the middle of at scene and hear someone scream ice tea it ruins the moment. it's also fun. fun to be on the streets in new york. >> danny, we should mention you can catch the two-hour special premiere of "law & order: svu" wednesday night. 9:00 eastern right here on nbc. thank you for stopping by. i really appreciate it. i'll see you on the set.

when we come back, as we leave you this morning, today's "life illustrated" in honor of education nation and kids across the country heading back to school. >> remember, you can always submit your pictures on our website, facebook, twitter #mylife. thank you for being with us. have a great week, everyone. thank you for being with us. have a great week, everyone. take it easy. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ i'm gone if a teach you ♪ all you've gotta do is repeat after me ♪ ♪ abc easy as 1, 2, 3 ♪ do ray me behalf paragraph abc, 1, 2, 3, baby you and me girl ♪ ♪ let me show you what it's all

about ♪ ♪ reading and writing ♪ teacher's gonna show you how to get an a ♪ ♪ listen to me, baby that's all you've got to do ♪ ♪ abc easy as 1, 2, 3 do ray me ♪ abc 1, 2, 3, baby you and me girl ♪ ♪ that's how easy love can be

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